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Saturday, February 23, 2019

AT THE MOVIES ~ ISN'T IT ROMANTIC

ISN’T IT ROMANTIC

If you are
not a Rebel Wilson fan this movie is not for you. Wilson is a comedian who
knows her shtick and is shticking to it. If you find Wilson funny, you’ll
quickly realize this is the perfect movie for her. Its premise takes advantage
of all her comedic skills and then some—who knew she could sing and dance—and she
effortlessly carries the entire film on her very wide shoulders.

Wilson plays Natalie,
her usual smart, but cynical character who this time out despises everything
about movies billed as romantic comedies, aka rom-coms. Living in a rundown
apartment with an unaffectionate dog, she’s an architect who nobody takes as
more than competent—good for designing parking structures, but not much else.
She finds herself being taken seriously by her co-workers, and even has a tough
time reining in her assistant who watches romantic comedies on her computer all
day at work.

Mugged in the
subway on her way home, Natalie hits her head and wakes up trapped in a new
reality where she is the center of attention for all the hearts, flowers, and
sappy characters she despises in every rom-com ever made. Satire is hard to
define and even harder to pull off. Isn’t
It Romantic tries hard to satirize every rom-com movie cliché and almost succeeds
to rise to that level. The one minor problem is the film is very meta and
blunts it’s satiric edge by eventually becoming a traditional rom-com in and of
itself. However, this is not necessarily a criticism. I came out of the theater
feeling upbeat and entertained, which is the whole point of why I go to the
movies.

If I do have
a criticism, it’s the handling of the rom-com girl’s traditional gay sidekick.
The character is so over the top as to be insulting. The jarring characterization
fails to blend with the low-key performances of the other actors, who are all
there to support Wilson and not to stand out in the crowd. Particular kudos to Liam
Hemsworth, as the satirized romantic lead,
who charmingly walks the tightrope between character and characterization with
aplomb.

I was not at
all disappointed Isn’t It Romantic choose
to step lightly on its satiric intentions, and didn’t go down the dark rabbit
hole of a more scathing approach. The rabbit hole may have been a more
critically interesting trip, but for lightweight comedic fluff, Isn’t It Romantic is clever enough to keep
you chuckling, and even made me laugh out loud several times. The coup de grâce,
however, is the closing Indian cinema inspired dance routine. It’s a hoot and a
great way to give a rousing end to the film, which otherwise might have ended
on a flat note. If you are looking
for a clever date night movie with a bit of bite, then go see Isn’t It Romantic strictly for what it
is—light, funny, and a highly commercial vehicle for the talents of Rebel
Wilson.